January 24, 1965

Winston Churchill (November 30, 1874 to January 24, 1965), the British statesman, not the novelist, could wax whimsical about his cats. Nelson was a gray Persian and Churchill warned a friend not to discuss the war in front of the cat., because ""He's in touch with the pelicans on the lake....and they're communicating our information to the German secret service!"

I think that was reported in the same source where I read:

During a dinner at the PM's country residence, Chequers, American war correspondent Quentin Reynolds noted Churchill as saying: "Nelson is the bravest cat I ever knew. I once saw him chase a huge dog out of the Admiralty. I decided to adopt him and name him after our great Admiral." During dinner, Reynolds noted, "When Mrs. Churchill was not looking, the Prime Minister sneaked pieces of salmon to Nelson." There were even rumors that Nelson sat in with his master during Cabinet meetings, and Churchill once told a colleague that Nelson was doing more than he was for the war effort.